Over sixty percent of Americans plan to celebrate 4th of July with a barbecue this year. Good Charcoal CEO Ben Jablonski joins Yahoo Finance Live to discuss the charcoal brand's roots in African conservation and its partnerships with wholesale retailers.
Video Transcript
AKIKO FUJITA: Well, it is now time to look ahead to the long holiday weekend. And many Americans are looking to dust off their grills as we look to Independence Day. The National Retail Federation reports 61% plan to celebrate with a cookout, barbecue, or picnic, and many plan to use a charcoal grill instead of a gas or electric one.
Now, grilling with charcoal comes with its own environmental concerns given its carbon dioxide emissions. But one company says it's found a way to reduce that pollution by at least 30%.
Joining us now from Namibia in South Africa is Ben Jablonski, CEO of the Good Charcoal. Ben, can we start by talking about why you're in Namibia?
BEN JABLONSKI: Yes. Hi, nice to meet you. Namibia has a huge environmental problem called bush encroachment. The acacia bush is growing out of control in Namibia. The size of the problem is 2 and 1/2 times the state of Georgia. And animals like the cheetah are really running out of room to hunt and they're dying. And we're taking that acacia bush, making it into charcoal, and bringing it to the United States.
SEANA SMITH: Ben, that was just a little bit more about that transportation process just getting it here to the US and the cost of that when it comes to an item like this. I think a lot of people would think that, hey, maybe it costs a lot more than what they typically buy when they're trying to grill with charcoal for the summer. So how does that stack up.
BEN JABLONSKI: Well, transportation was much higher during COVID. But it's come down quite a lot. And luckily we can bring a lot of bags in a container and make the price really affordable for the American consumer.
AKIKO FUJITA: What is the demand picture look like right now. I mean, we're showing here some partnerships that you already have in place. We've kind of grown accustomed to those grills that are just sort of an easy turn on, right, whether it's gas or electric. What are you seeing on the charcoal side of things?
BEN JABLONSKI: So people are wanting to cook more authentically and with better flavor. And the Good Charcoal really allows you to do that because we don't have the chemicals. So it's better for you. And, like, we're now in Sam's Club, Target. And we're actually launching in selected Kroger's this weekend.
SEANA SMITH: Yep. And you certainly have a lot of strategic partnerships. So going back more so to that demand question, just even getting your message out there. Just that this is an option. What does that look like?
BEN JABLONSKI: Well, as a start-up, it's pretty tough. And we just do a lot through social media. We have a lot of brand ambassadors. And we're really focused around grill enthusiasts and families because people want to take care of their families by having a healthier product that's sustainable and really burns hotter so you need less.
AKIKO FUJITA: So how big of a boost is this holiday weekend for you?
BEN JABLONSKI: Well, we'll usually see two to three times the typical week on 4th of July weekend. People just love to grill and get together with their families and we're all about it.
SEANA SMITH: And I believe you started this company just about two years ago, what was still the middle of the pandemic. What was that like, just the biggest lesson that you learned at launching a business? That what was a pretty tough time
BEN JABLONSKI: Yeah. So me and my partner, Rob, we took four planes from New York to Africa. And we really just fell in love with Namibia, which is a beautiful country. But I think COVID was a pause for many Americans to say what's important to us and for me as an Aussie, who grew up grilling, it's important to have a healthier option and sustainable one that people can really enjoy and get behind.
SEANA SMITH: All right. Ben Jablonski, CEO of Good Charcoal. Thanks so much for joining us here and happy Fourth.
BEN JABLONSKI: Happy Fourth. Have a good one.
